Calgary Green Line Board approves two teams to advance project to RFP stage

Aug. 1, 2022

Bow Transit Connectors and City Link Partners will submit proposals to build the first phase of the light-rail project.

A rendering of the Eau Claire Station on the future Green Line Light-Rail Project.

Bow Transit Connectors and City Link Partners have been approved by the Green Line Board to submit Request for Proposals (RFP) for the first phase of the Calgary, Alberta, light-rail project that will connect Shepard to Eau Claire.

“Green Line is confidently moving forward with Bow Transit Connectors and City Link Partners, two very strong proponent teams. With extensive competition due to record investment in global transit, to have attracted their collective expertise is a great endorsement of the project,” said Green Line Board Chair Don Fairbairn.

The Green Line is the largest infrastructure project in the city’s history. It will be constructed in two phases with Phase 1 being 18-kilometers (11.18-miles). Phase 1 is described as the most technically complex section of the light-rail line and will support future north and south expansion.

A Request for Qualifications for Phase 1 was issued this spring. The Green Line Board explains submissions were evaluated against technical capabilities, approach, experience and financial capacity and the process.

Bow Transit Connectors consists of Barnard Constructors of Canada, LP, Flatiron Constructors Canada Ltd and WSP Canada Inc. City Link Partners consists of Aecon Infrastructure Management Inc., Dragados Canada Inc., Acciona Infrastructure Canada Inc., Parsons Inc. and AECOM Canada Ltd.

The RFP will be released by the end of Q3 2022 with one of the proponents being selected in early 2023 as the development partner. Following the development partner selection, an approximate 12-month development phase will commence that will allow for collaboration, design progression and better understanding of risks and costs in an open and transparent manner. As Bow Transit Connectors and City Link Partners advance through the procurement process, Green Line will connect local contractors and suppliers with the teams to explore project opportunities.

“This is a very strong step for Green Line and speaks to the work done by the city to collaborate with industry to drive interest and investment,” said Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek.

About the Author

Mischa Wanek-Libman | Editor in Chief

Mischa Wanek-Libman serves as editor in chief of Mass Transit magazine. She is responsible for developing and maintaining the magazine’s editorial direction and is based in the western suburbs of Chicago.

Wanek-Libman has spent more than 20 years covering transportation issues including construction projects and engineering challenges for various commuter railroads and transit agencies. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.

She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and serves as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.

She is a graduate of Drake University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a major in magazine journalism and a minor in business management.